What is research process

The researcher now. Because research reports differ by discipline, the most effective way for you to understand formatting and citations is to examine reports from others in your department or field. Talk with your advisor about potential local, regional, or national venues to present your findings. Earlier, we emphasized the fact that the research process, rather than being linear, is recursive—the reason we conceptualized the process as a series of steps within a circle.

At this stage, you may need to revisit your research problem in the context of your findings. You might also investigate the implications of your work and identify new problems or refine your previous approach. Alternatively, you might choose to investigate a theoretical problem—for example, an underexplored phenomenon or relationship, a contradiction between different models or theories, or an unresolved debate among scholars. To put the problem in context and set your objectives, you can write a problem statement.

This describes who the problem affects, why research is needed, and how your research project will contribute to solving it. Next, based on the problem statement, you need to write one or more research questions. These target exactly what you want to find out. They might focus on describing, comparing, evaluating, or explaining the research problem. A strong research question should be specific enough that you can answer it thoroughly using appropriate qualitative or quantitative research methods.

It should also be complex enough to require in-depth investigation, analysis, and argument. In some types of research, at this stage you might also have to develop a conceptual framework and testable hypotheses. The research design is a practical framework for answering your research questions.

There are often many possible paths you can take to answering your questions. The decisions you make will partly be based on your priorities. For example, do you want to determine causes and effects, draw generalizable conclusions, or understand the details of a specific context? You need to decide whether you will use primary or secondary data and qualitative or quantitative methods.

Finally, after completing these steps, you are ready to complete a research proposal. The proposal outlines the context, relevance, purpose, and plan of your research.

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Learn more about how FutureLearn is transforming access to education. Learn more about this course. The research process In this article the steps necessary to successfully carry out a research project are discussed. Understanding the research process is an important step towards executing a thorough research or study.